Wireless networks such as wireless local area networks (WLANs) are often used for wireless communications. In a WLAN, a wireless station (STA) may communicate within the WLAN via one or more access points (APs) (also referred to as radio heads or endpoints). In particular, the STA may exchange wireless signals with an AP. The STA and AP may communicate according to a wireless communications standard, such as one or more of the IEEE 802.11 communication standards. Accordingly, the description herein will assume a wireless network that conforms to the IEEE 802.11 standard, and will use the terminology of the IEEE 802.11 standard. The embodiments described herein, however, are not restricted to such a network.
Normally, an AP may be configured to process received signals and signals for transmission locally at the AP. For example, when an AP receives wireless signals (e.g., noise, data, etc.), the AP normally digitizes the signals (e.g., inphase (I) and quadrature phase (Q) components of a signal) and locally processes the digitized signals at the AP to retrieve data from the signals, including performing packet detection to determine if the signals correspond to packets of data, pilot correction, equalization, demodulation, etc. Further, when an AP has data to transmit, the AP locally processes the data for wireless transmission, including performing packetization, filtering, etc. Such local processing by the AP may necessitate the AP have sufficient complexity to perform the processing. Accordingly, the AP may include complex hardware and/or software capable of locally performing the necessary processes, which may raise costs of the AP.
To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is contemplated that elements disclosed in one embodiment may be beneficially utilized on other embodiments without specific recitation.